Steve Jobs announced that Apple is now debt-free after six years of hacking at US$1billion in debt. On February 18th, Apple paid off their remaining US$300million to be a debt-free company for the first time in 10 years. Last year also proved to be a big year for Apple. The BusinessWeek Corporate Scoreboard reported that Apple led the computer industry group, posting a 552 percent jump in annual profits, or US$137 million, on the back of strong computer and iPod sales.

USER COMMENTS 41 comment(s)

sure(10:26am EST Fri Feb 20 2004)Celebrate whatever you want. It doesn t change what apple is. It's a 3% blip that most people will never touch. Most serious computer geeks see apple users as total tards and losers anyways. Apple could still be in debt or make 500 milliob dollars a month, and it still wouldnt change a thing about how people view apple. Loser, go play with your non user replaceable battery in your ipod. – by 3% sucks

Big numbers,file sharing,being cheap,and games, are what geeks are into these days,right? – by 3%

Crazy(11:11am EST Fri Feb 20 2004)I use a Apple computer but I also own pc, I don't see why there's always a debate which one is better. Even once you jump onto the pc side of things…the Intel and AMD thing comes up and fanboy will hang onto the side they like the most. – by crA Z AN

The business I work for is in Advertising and we do mainly print and television work. We have over 200 PC's and 8 Mac's in our building. The only reason the Mac's are here is they are all in one guys office and he refuses to let them go being the fanatic that he is. He is also in management.

Our bottom line is much better since the switch to PC's. The upgrading and becoming obsolete every two years with the Mac was killing us financially.

We use mainly XP on our desktops and we have Linux servers. There is no reason to use a Mac anymore when it can be done cheaper and faster on a PC.

That's life– by Steve Jobless

as an investor(11:24am EST Fri Feb 20 2004)Apple has been a decent performer. I bought in at $13 and it has been holding at about $23 for the last few months. I am holding my shares because I can see that the new software and hardware coming out soon should result in real growth for the platform.

The company has no debt, the iPod and iTunes are gathering huge attention for the company with the hope that will translate to positive feelings towards the rest of their products and their platform.

My personal observation is that here in Los Angeles, production companies, special effects houses, and editing houses, are very pleased with their G5's performance, and are eagerly awaiting the next update in the line. Most of the holdouts I have talked to said that they are buying in when the next G5's are released. Similarly, Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, LiveType, Shake, and other professional titles are either being purchased or planned on being purchased soon. Good signs from people who are very critical of the hardware and software they need to use to make their livings.

The one area of concern has been quality control in laptops. I am very pleased that Apple extended the repair period on those faulty logic board iBooks, as well as issues with their design flaw in the 15″ PowerBooks. Obviously, that kind of poor quality in the product line has to stop.

On the bright side, CNET just reported that Apple customer service is the best of all computer makers

So, the fact that the company is debt free, profitable, and has a lot of good products in the pipeline make me feel pretty confident in my investment.

– by multimedia guy

Steve Jobless(11:42am EST Fri Feb 20 2004)I work at an agency too (well an ad agency, marketing firm, and production company), and my experience is quite the opposite from yours. Our severs are FreeBSD, and we all use both Macs and PCs, however, we have Macs in daily use that are as old as 5 years, with every machine that can support it running 10.3 I have an iMac DV 400 running 10.3 that works better with that operating system than it did with the POS OS it shipped with.

Meanwhile, unless you count the cases that have been upgraded with new processor and motherboards, our oldest PC is 2 years old. I am not saying this to badmouth PCs, in fact, I LOVE the Northgate A64 we are using for DVD authoring, and it is just a frigging Northgate. My Dell Dimension never hurt anybody, and while I can't get extactic about it, it does do its job.

Accounting is the only department that only uses PCs, and that is because that is all they need, and a cheap vanilla box is all they get.

I own both a PC and a MAC. The PC is better for a few things such as gaming and thats about it. I perfer my MAC for everything else. – by Gr3at

ere: 3% sucks(11:52am EST Fri Feb 20 2004)Ever occur to you that if a company gets outta debt and annual profits raise by 550%, then more people are buying their product and their marketshare may actually rise some in the furture?

You love to argue with numbers here,.. so I'm confussed as to why you aren't noticing this.

– by 3vil0||3

the numbers(11:53am EST Fri Feb 20 2004)– by 3vil0||3

The Tree.(12:34pm EST Fri Feb 20 2004)I think it's awesome that Apple is finally out of the hole, this should give them a lot more creative freedom and possibly allow them to drop the price on the iPod a little so I can finally go out and get one.

Or so I can hope. – by Apexified

RE: Life isn't Hard – Steve Jobless(12:46pm EST Fri Feb 20 2004)I've been working the graphics/print industry for the last 10 years and have never seen a pc being used for anything graphic related except for rips.

The “business” Steve Jobless works for must be in the basement of his parent's house. – by Sarcasmo

PC liar(1:03pm EST Fri Feb 20 2004)” The upgrading and becoming obsolete every two years with the Mac….”

Now we know you're lying. Macs last a lot longer than that, which is why Apple's installed base is around 15-20% of the computing population.

I bet the reason you dislike Macs is because they make IT people obsolete. There would be less work and less overtime pay if you used more Macs.

Three Cheers(1:48pm EST Fri Feb 20 2004)… to Apple for being pretty much the only computer technology related company in the black muchless debt free.

– by one nerd among many

Watch out bill…(2:00pm EST Fri Feb 20 2004)Steve jobs is back and debt free. You too can be debt free just by sending 200 dollars amonth to save the geek fund at 1-800-800-8000. HEHE :-D – by woohoo

ha(4:01pm EST Fri Feb 20 2004)that's funny. I replaced the battery in my ipod.and most serious Geeks DO use Mac because of OSX/UNIX.

– by Anthonyd

IT People(5:35pm EST Fri Feb 20 2004)Actually, being an IT person myself, I dislike macs because most of their installed user base has no clue of what to do when a problem does arise. Trouble shooting a mac problem can be on par with a root canal. I've had several hour long phone calls resolving issues with Macintoshes. Though, to qualify, the majority of problems are pre OS X. – by IT Person

IT Person(7:38pm EST Fri Feb 20 2004)“Actually, being an IT person myself, I dislike macs because most of their installed user base has no clue of what to do when a problem does arise.”

That's true of many mac users, but only because in everyday computing, they don't even have to think. The mac just works, without hardly any thought involved which is why apple had a stranglehold on the eductation field until the economy went bad and schools had to start buying cheap PC's. Also, I could personally say that had it not been for years of troubleshooting my PC's problems, I would not have such an appreciation for things that “Just Work”, and I would not be able to troubleshoot some of the few serious problems that arise in the Mac OS. – by Money Makin Mac Man

3% sucks(8:32pm EST Fri Feb 20 2004)Most “serious computer geeks” should dabble in the art of self-castration, so as not to infect the rest of the population. – by

Debt Free?(11:39pm EST Fri Feb 20 2004)Being debt free sounds like a great doesn't it. However, people with deeper financial knowledge know that some debt is good. A financial goal for an organization is to minimize its cost of capital (cost of raising money for operations). With interest rates at an all time low in the US it is less expensive to fund new projects and operations with bonds (debt) than with equity.

On the other hand, if Apple can funds its innovations with profits alone, then more power to them. Most companies have to borrow or offer ownership (equity) to fund the level of innovation that Apple wishes to sustain, because it requires higher and more continuous R&D budgets. Furthermore, the higher a company's liabilities are, the less tax expenses they have.

In short, being completely debt free could be a big disadvantage and bad decision on APPLE's part.

– by American Geek

apple(11:58pm EST Fri Feb 20 2004)i'll buy an apple in about five to eight years. when most of the applications that i use become mac compatable. or i might just go the linux way.

by the way, if apple doesent lower their prices i wont buy the machines. – by hahahaha

hahahaha(1:26am EST Sat Feb 21 2004)If you are using Windows right now as your main platform, then most likely the apps you use may not ever become mac compatible. There really haven't been many PC ports to Mac recently. In case you haven't noticed, Apple buys software companies and has them develop for the MacOs only, in addition to the software that Apple develops themselves. It just so happens that the software that is mac only is some of the most innovative, simple to use software made by anyone, and once the average, know nothing computer user sees how easy it is to edit home movies and burn a DVD, manage their music collection, or compose their own music (Garage Band) on a mac, as opposed to Windows (the only other OS to the average user), I'm sure Apples user base will grow even more than it has.

Furthermore, even if you and many PC only guys don't buy a mac, Apple will remain strong with its current extremely loyal user base. Let's face it, mac users hardly ever ditch their macs and go Windows, but PC users switch all the time. Just go into your neighborhood Apple Store, and you will overhear people who have never used a mac be mezmerized after playing with iPhoto and spend 4 to 5 thousand dollars.

Lastly, I'm sick of all you self-proclaimed geeks in here preaching doom for this company and that company because “you can't overclock their chips” or because “the pci bus on this board can't address enough memory”. NEWS FLASH!!! Most computer users are not geeks. Most of them have never seen the inside of their computer. Geeks are the minority that these computer companies hate because most of the computer using world are mindless drones that don't care and will take anything as long as its reasonbly fast and they can check their e-mail and play solitaire on it.

I guess, in a way, 2004 is alot like 1984. – by Money Makin Mac Man

Macs are cool(1:44am EST Sat Feb 21 2004)Macs are cool if you dont like video games and have lots of money. If i didnt like counter strike soo much and had a well paying job i'd buy mac. They seem to be the best for most things. But i am a student, and i get a thrill out of building my own pc and playing with the problems that arise untill all works smoothly. and windows XP pro is pretty darn stable im not really worried about stability. Running RAID 0+1 so F_ck it. – by Student

Mac to PC Switcher(2:56am EST Sat Feb 21 2004)After using PCs for years, I gave in to the hype and finally bought a mac. I love many things about it, but I really miss the OSX is light years ahead of Windows and much of the software on the mac (such as final cut pro) destroys its PC compeition. However, mac hardware is incredibly inspensive and many applications are simply not available of the platform. I love my mac, but when it comes time to upgrade, I'll save tons of money and go with a PC. – by Bento

Mac to PC to Mac(8:05am EST Sat Feb 21 2004)I had used a mac for 4 years before I decided to buy a PC. The PC was 8 times faster than the Mac, going from g4 400mhz to dual 2.6. It was a different world – for a few weeks. I do heavy Cinema4d and Cubase. Certainly it is very fast, but I was more productive on the mac. On the other hand, i've now got a very good experience in how to make PC's work and keep then running for more than a week at a time. I'm saving for the Dual 2.x G5 rev B, and it won't be a (expensive) mistake I make twice. – by real work counts!

macs(7:33pm EST Sat Feb 21 2004)I have nothing against macs

I have used both machines, and the mac is on par with pc's in many areas. i am just saying that i get more use out of my pc then i would a mac. and the drag and drop cd/dvd authoring is for the unexperienced.

the mac is going to keep making in roads in the pc buisness, but until i can get more usefullness out of the mac to justify the expence, i will stay with the pc. – by hahahahaha

Wow!(7:33pm EST Sat Feb 21 2004)I didn't know that apple still sold computers. I haven’t had to dill with those poor excuses for computers in 15 years. – by IronSmith

Heh(12:21am EST Sun Feb 22 2004)Clearly “hahahahaha” will not be buying until Apple start bundling iReplicator and Time Machine Pro.

It's amazing the stuff people will make up just to include a negative post, eh? – by Excellent

Idiots(12:01pm EST Sun Feb 22 2004)I own a mac and pc. Both do what I want them to. You people who keep saying mac suck are stupid and have no real life other then posting in forums to feel better about your self. – by GetReal

My two penneth(4:54am EST Mon Feb 23 2004)We have a mixture of PCs and Mac's at home. I tend to use the PCs as they are in my home office but also use the Mac when I can force my wife to let me

My wife (A geek with a wife… and kids… sussed that bit too… and no webcam or CBT…!) has the iMac 17″ widescreen in the lounge over 802.11 running 10.3.

She mainly uses OfficeX (incl Entourage for eMail), IM and the web browser. I use the iDVD and iMovie, and other “stuff”.

I had an old iBook 400Mhz clam shell special edition, and one of the old 400Mhz iMacs (TV in a box). The iBook and iMac are living elsewhere with some friends where both are doing great things for their kids and their homework.

The home network is Win2K Server based, with a Small Business Server 2000 running Exchange 2000 (EntourageX works fine, giving calendaring and central address list via LDAP) and Retrospect SBS for backup.

The HP OfficeJet d155xi serves the Macs and the PCs for printing and scanning (this is a cool device if anyone wants a printer/Scanner/Fax/Copier that works for Mac and PC over Ethernet BTW… check it out!).

Basically, I like both. Each has its own benefits, and they all talk to each other – More so with 10.3.

I see no reason to move in one direction or the other… If I buy another laptop I will possibly go for a PowerBook because it does everything I need it to do, and I know it will fit into my environment.

I am quite happy with what I have.– by Stoogie

Troubles(11:03am EST Mon Feb 23 2004)I've had several hour long phone calls resolving issues with Macintoshes. Though, to qualify, the majority of problems are pre OS X. – by IT Person

So, if you look a little closer at the issue you'd notice most of your “troublesome” Macs are from a period of say 1999-2001

Yes OS9 was a poor OS and it was one of the reasons i stayed away from Macs until last year.As for Apple being expensive, the main reason I switched was on price.And be honest for $3000 which would you have:

Noorkiest(3:31am EST Tue Feb 24 2004)But I'M NOT HAPPY WITH what you have!

Then go jump off a tall building and make the world a better place – by Bill Hicks

Apple(8:37am EST Tue Feb 24 2004) People who trash Apple are people who cant afford a Mac. I really do feel sorry for you guys using your windows machines and riding the bus. Take it from us people who made something of ourselves… Macs rule..and so does having a nice house and car. – by VegasVIP

Life isn't Hard (if you have a mac)(8:46am EST Tue Feb 24 2004)Strange I work for one of the biggest media companies in the US. The windows machine have a much sorter life span than the Mac machines. I do agree macs are more exspensive but they easly pay for themselves with the extra productivity. Even the G5 server has been so great that we are slowly replacing all the windows & linux servers with them. In fact we should be purchasing about 400+ G5 servers with raids this year alone, not to mention the G5 work stations. Yep its stange the more we switch to Mac's the more profit we make. – by Has a Great Job

yeah, Apple/Mac's must suck eh?(10:46am EST Wed Mar 03 2004)Well, I own both systems and I must say that with doing AutoCAD design work and Music… this is what I think.

MyPC

Oh Well My PC Is the best!, I turn it on and don't know from day to day if I was hacked, a virus, spyware, cheep chip design, software conflicts, heat issues, compatibility issues, compatibility issues, oh did I say that twice? and slow SLOW!, different internet use slow, I don't know from day to day… what it's going to do and what it's going to take to make it work today!?!?!!! With a PC who makes it??? Who…? Don’t know do ya… well here is a tip! Everyone… there is about 30 min. manufactures in a PC not including about 30 software manufacturers and if you want to know what it’s like? try this!… tell a roomer to a friend and let them pass it on through out your friends and see how it comes back at the end when it’s finished! It’s never the same! That is a PC. And the only reason Techs and server people are upset is because Microsoft’s web site is provided by a Mac! And they have no Job’s without PC’s…lol )

The Apple/Mac…

Turn it on & it works.

so witch machine do you think I want to turn on… stupid! enough I have die hard friends who make it a life goal to prove me wrong about mac's!!! DIE HARD! and there still trying to fix there machines everyday having to learn how to maintain it and fix the dam thing?! so, you have to think about it??? Is this the life for me?

Buy a Mac! You won't go wrong!

Also my boss in design paid more for his system when he was done then the Mac anyways? I walked in with my old Mac and smoked his machines! He was upset! and as far as internet… it's faster, and also if you have a problem with a Mac/Apple… there is a whole support company waiting for your call because if 1 person has a problem then everyone will so, they fix it and send out the patch. and some of the design came from Mac! For PC’s

Enough said! ) – by MADMAN

You must be right?(11:06am EST Wed Mar 03 2004)I have a 3.0gig PC made by?, and nothing but problems…

I seen a used Mac for sale because they got a new one and I picked it up with a 17″ monitor for $125. And it smokes the PC… how is this possible? Well, I did some research and found that Mac uses a straight IP address! SCSI drives and other leading tech. that we wish we had in our PC’s Today! And my system is never been opened since it was made back in the power pc days )

I got it to learn what the big hype difference was? My friends were also DIE HARD freaks for PC's and I don't get to talk to them much? There computers are always down… :(Well, I hope they learn soon! I would like to see them again!

Thanks for the Truth!

Dear Friends…

It would be nice to talk to you guys again, you disappeared after you got the new PC and I never heard from you again? We used to chat online all the time and your Web page was great? But, I don’t see it now? What’s going on… you two were going to open your own business and your kids were doing so well in school? And now…? Well, if you need to barrow my old Mac just ask )…lol – by Crzygrl:)

Re: Troubles(9:58pm EST Mon Aug 16 2004)I surprised when you linked my Precision 410 off my gallery heheh to tell you the truth I would rather have the Mac instead of this precision which is slow as hell!! My 410 is only P2 333 Mhz and as a matter of fact im using it right now heheh.

If I have 3000 I would get the G5. – by BMWGarage

OSX IS #1 UNIX IN WORLD(3:27pm EST Sun Oct 03 2004)The WWDC in San Francisco was a delight. Many more (17% increase from last year) developers are jumping the 8 year old Windows ship to develop for OSX. I interviewed many of them and the responses were all similar UNIX is clean, powerful, versatile, and cost effective for developers to utilize. Some were saying that MS Longhorn was a couple years behind Panther which was an interesting statement as I wonder how they received their info and in light of the event that Panther is about to be superceeded by a lightyear of improvements, over 150 in all.

I know I see many diverse opinions on this board and from time to time I get a chuckle. The fact is MS knows that in order to survive they know they have to go Unix, and I give kudos to their Mac Development Department which always releases the cutting edge Office before the WinTel users get a hold of it. I have been using MS Office 2004 now for quite a while and I must say it is no less than great.

In regard to compatibility issues, those are going away quickly as the user base of OSX increases geometrically. – by Rational